The Light of Order
by ShinodaChan
Summary: After a devastating attack on their village, a mother and her daughter attempt to flee to safety. However, things are never that simple and soon the daughter is left alone with only the Dawnbringer to guide her. (One-shot, Alternative Universe with Order vs. Chaos)


The world was doused in fire.

 _No one_ in the village knew how it started, nor would they ever. _No one_ would ever hear of the greed of the King of the land, his unjustified and harsh banishment of a kind mistress and the story of her corruption and vengeance on him by destroying everything he had including everyone who was, in his eyes, under him. _No one_ would hear his screams of pain and anguish as he would look out among the flames of his kingdom, supposedly the only survivor of the mistress's swift judgement on his arrogance. No, there would be _no one_.

There is no light for those who choose not to see it.

"Run, Maria!" Cried Abigail, the mother of a small pale girl barely over the age of nine. The woman's once beautiful blond locks were covered in soot, her body caked in dirt and her feet bleeding from hot, broken glass. She was looking at her only daughter with a look of pure fear and concern as the young girl hurried as fast as she could towards her mother, her body less harmed by the events around her but the black ash making her face indiscernible in the fiery night. The look in Maria's face was one of horror, desperation. Her mother couldn't blame her. _No one_ could blame her.

When Maria finally caught up Abigail grabbed her daughter's hand and with a grip made of iron hurried her along as they fled from what remained of their once docile and innocent village. There had been no time to prepare, no warning. All Abigail knew was that for her sake and for her husband's sake, their daughter had to live. _No one_ this young deserved to suffer like this.

The village was located on the edge of a mountain, the region surrounding it uneven and rocky. It had been chosen to put the village here so that if an attack were to come it would only be from one direction, from the only path up aside from the steep rocky cliffs. _No one_ expected there to ever be such an assault and so they had relaxed over generations, lowering the gates more easily and training more sloppily. No, they never saw it coming. So in the end all their village's location had served to do was trap them in their own pit of cruel, unyielding death.

Abigail and Maria were desperately attempting to scale down the mountain's smoother edges, a term that was heavily exaggerated due to the rest of the mountain. They had made it to an impasse, a small relief in the form of a large flat ledge that sloped downward as one would expect a winding road too. With all of her strength Abigail rushed forward and Maria could hardly keep her footing as they hurriedly tried to escape as fast as possible. They were not alone. With every few steps they took a shout rose up from the men hunting them down like animals, the same mercenaries who had slaughtered the people of the village and looted it for everything it was worth. They had given one job, and _no one_ among them was going to miss out a better chance to get paid.

They're over here! This way!" The crunching of boots on gravel and stone grew louder in Maria's ears as the shouts became closer and closer, the fear in girl's chest constricting her lungs as she struggled for breath in the smoky air. She had been running like this for too long, too hard. With a shout of exhaustion to her Abigail she was embraced by her

mother into her arms and she watched from her new vantage point as the torches and evil voices chased after them.

Abigail tried as hard as she could, running with such a fury and speed that one would think she had been doing it her entire life. Still, it wasn't enough. Mere moments after they had reached the middle of the ledge a thick arrow embedded itself deep in the muscle of her left leg, sending her crashing to the floor. Abigail hit the ground face-first while Maria flew out of her mother's arms, skidding across the ledge along her arms for a meter before coming to a stop. Maria groaned in pain as she felt a painful burning sensation soar up the front of her arms and knuckles, the pain temporarily distracting her before she quickly turned back to look at her mother and cried out in shock as she saw her mom struggle to lift herself up, her nose broken and face caked with blood.

"Mom!" Maria cried, scrambling to her feet as she dashed over to her mother's side. Abigail spat out the mouthful of blood in her mouth and looked at her daughter in resignation, the sounds of the outside lost to both of them.

"Go, Maria." Abigail managed, coughing as she nearly lost her balance but maintained it with a determined wince. "You need to keep going."

Maria let her tears fall down like droplets on her filth-covered cheeks as she cried. "Mom, no." She said through sobs. "I won't leave you. Don't make me leave you."

"You have to, Maria." Abigail said, water forming on the ridges of her eyes as she spoke. "You need to go. Find help, shelter, anyone. I can't give that to you anymore, not like this. You need to save yourself."

Maria was a stubborn girl and she hugged her mother tight, ignoring the blood on her hands as she said "No! You're my mom, you don't deserve this. I need you, Dad needs you." She fell on her hands and cried even harder as she choked, "I don't want to say g-goodbye..."

Despite everything Abigail smiled then and with a superhuman effort got to her knees and lifted her daughter's small chin to face her. "Maria," she said as tenderly as she could, "I'll always be here for you. No matter where you are, no matter what you do. I'm always going to be a part of you. _No one_ can take me away from you because you have my blood, my life inside you. But you need to be strong now, you need to be the fighter me and your father have seen in you ever since your birth. You need to go, even if everything hurts." Abigail kissed her daughter softly on the cheek and hugged her as the sobbing started to die down. When Maria was calmer than before she pushed Maria's hair out of hey eyes and said, "Don't think of it as goodbye. Think of it as, 'See you tomorrow.' Okay?"

Maria nodded, sniffing. "Okay Mom," she said, her eyes soft and still shining with denial. "I'll be back, and with lots of help. I promise."

Abigail smiled again, doing everything she could to hold back her own tears. "I know you will." she said, "Now go, hurry!"

She repeated herself as Maria slowly but surely ran from her mother, stumbling down the ledge as she went as fast as she could. Abigail couldn't help but feel joy through her heart as Maria disappeared from view before she heard the footsteps again, close and much slower than before. She turned her head and bravely faced the men now patiently and cockily making their way across the ledge to her, ready for the end.

With her smaller, more agile frame and the desire to flee rampant in her head Maria soared forward with her second wind as she made her way to the base of the mountain, finally crashing down on the soft green earth with a heavy thud. Maria didn't stop there, she hit the ground and kept running with the last of her energy before she was under the protection of a set of large oak trees, pushing herself against the side of one facing away from the mountain before she collapsed. She was spent, all of her energy was gone. Maria panted and wheezed as she took in cleaner air, her mind swimming as she tried to clear all of the thoughts inside of it.

 _Mom. Gone. Dad. Gone. No one left. No one here. Just me. Alone._

Maria willed more tears to come but none were left and she sobbed quietly, her knees covering her chest as the trauma from the event finally hit her at full force. She didn't know how long she sat there before a loud, contemptuous voice roared through the air and grabbed her attention.

"Are you ready to finally die, wench?"

Maria rose up in fear and looked around for the source of the voice. When she heard the chorus of laughter behind her she peaked out from behind the tree back towards the mountain where a group of mercenaries were huddled around something, someone...

 _No,_ Maria thought _No..._

She couldn't see much of her mother among the armored men but the bare skin was enough. Blood was everywhere, whips curled with red resting on the men's shoulders as they bellowed and whooped at their artwork. She could see the leader in the crowd: A taller, bald man with tattoos on his face looking down at what her mother with a sly smirk.

"We've had our fun with you," The leader continued, "But you're just like the rest. Rough, pained, inadequate. We could never keep someone as stale as you alive when we want someone who's willing to fall from her pedestal and accept what she's become."

Her mother must have responded with something powerful because the men ooo'd with surprise, the leader taking a step back for a few seconds in shock before his smirk found itself back on his face.

"Brave words, honey." The leader admitted, "Not enough to keep you or your weak husband alive, but the effort is noted." He raised his weapon of choice, a large rusty mace and said, "Any last words?"

For a moment everything stood still and Maria could imagine her mother opening her voice to speak. Then the man brought down his mace and an ear-piercing scream resounded across the area, agony and pain filling its voice.

"Just kidding!" The leader shouted happily over the shouts of pain, "We don't let people have last words!" He motioned to his men and they tossed their torches onto Maria's mother, a large spout of flame erupting from over her body as she wailed and cried out until she finally could not say anymore, the men laughing and bellowing in amusement as they watched and butted heads with each other. From her view Maria felt her knees buckle and she crashed to the ground, her systems shutting down as she felt a deep coldness overtake her.

 _No..._ she thought as spots began to appear in her vision. _She's...no..._

Maria entered a fetal position without her knowing it and she began to shake, the adrenaline in her system flowing out of control as emotions soared through her system.

 _It's not fair..._ she thought, anger consuming her. _She didn't do anything. She was a good person. Why did it have to be her..._

Maria gasped lightly with the realization and everything crashed even further, the truth dark and dominant in her mind.

"It's my fault..." she croaked, the laughter from the mercenaries and the visions of the fire filling her senses. "If I hadn't stopped running...if I hadn't forced her to carry me...none of this would've happened. She would still be alive, still here with me."

Maria cradled herself harder as blood dripped down from various cuts on her body, dotting the grass she was on with a faint red. "I'm sorry, Mom." She said, her voice wracked with grief. "I was too weak, too helpless...I wasn't able to do enough when you needed me the most. I don't deserve to be alive, I failed...I couldn't save you." At the last part Maria cried out and the shaking became even harder as she began to fall into herself.

"I couldn't save you...I couldn't save you...I couldn't save you...I couldn't, I couldn't..." And at that moment Maria felt the pain in her heart and thought to herself, It's all my fault.

Then from in front of her a voice said uniformly, " _No one_ could've saved her."

Maria opened her eyes and lifted her head slightly to the direction of the voice. A tall woman was standing before her, gazing down with a serious expression. She was beautiful, with short blue hair and bright shining eyes of the same color. Her skin was flawless and fair and as Maria noticed her arms became bluish at her arms and hands, one of which was holding a a long sword covered with gold carvings and an electric aura. Her armor was black and gold in a godly and yet also modest fashion and flowing from each of the woman's shoulders were two wings of light. To Maria there couldn't have been more of a sight.

"Wh-who are you?" Maria managed, shifting her position to have her back pushing into the tree as she tried to keep as much distance as possible. "Are you a spirit? A warrior?" Maria's voice faltered and she suddenly looked at the woman with hope. "An angel?"

The woman shook her head and spoke evenly, "No. I am the Dawnbringer, Riven. I am the defender of Order and the slayer of evil. I am everything that is good in the world and everything that follows the way of the light." She looked down at Maria and added in a more gentle tone, "But no, I am not who you desire. I'm sorry."

Maria nodded, the hope leaving her body as quick as it had come. "That's okay." She said mournfully. "I probably don't deserve one anyways. I deserve damnation for what I did today." She outstretched her arms to Riven and spoke, "If that's what you're here for, then I'll go without a fight. I know what I did wrong."

Riven knelt before the girl in front of her and pushed her arms to the side. "I'm not here to bring you to justice." she said. "I'm here to give you what you want."

Maria's eyes widened. "My mother?" She cried in desperation. "My father? My village?"

Riven started at her solemnly. "No," she said, "I can't bring back what has already succumbed to the dark. What has happened has happened."

Maria felt rage flow through her veins, the disappointment of this woman's lie to her fueling her next words. "Why are you here then, if you have nothing that I want?"

Riven ignored the harsh tone of the younger girl and replied, "I'm here to give you a choice. A chance to do the next best thing, something you will want in the future and will always hold close to yourself."

The anger in Maria's eyes diluted with confusion. "What?" She asked.

Riven stood up and held out her free hand to the girl. With a hesitant expression Maria took the hand and Riven lifted her up onto her feet, steadying her and focusing her line of sight onto her sword. "The power to make sure _no one_ ever suffers from this again." The Dawnbringer stated, "The ability to defend the light and to also slay the dark."

Maria stepped back, the hesitation on her face taking on new heights alongside fear and a creeping feeling of unworthiness. "Bu-but I don't deserve that." She managed. "I killed my mother! Even if I wasn't the one who killed her directly I still wasn't strong enough when she needed me the most. Why should I get this?"

Riven concentrated and as Maria looked on the same electric blue energy that decorated the Dawnbringer's sword appeared around both of their bodies, a warm refreshing sensation that smelled of mint and relaxed the younger girl's worries of danger.

"You did not kill your mother." Riven said truthfully, "Nor did you kill your father or anyone in the village you lived in. That was the work of Chaos, the darkness that fuels this world. It is a powerful malevolence, one that ravages all of the universe and can never be fully erased. There was weakness, corruption and there are people who have fallen and need to be brought to justice. But not you." Riven took both of the girl's hands in hers and the aura intensified, the Dawnbringer's eyes beginning to shine with power as she continued on. "I am giving you this chance because you have seen the horrors of Chaos and now are without purpose in life, a meaning for your existence. Not only can I give you a meaning, I can also purify your heart and give you the ability to fight for everything that is right in the world. For if you truly think that you killed your mother," Riven's gaze hardened. "Then you will desire to avenge her more than anything else in this world."

Maria nodded, taking the information in slowly so she could process it better. "And if I do gain this power from you." she asked, "What would I become?"

Riven lifted her sword and rose it in the air for Maria to see. "You would become a defender of the light and enter the service of Order, becoming an immortal being tasked with the bringing of peace and justice to the universe." She motioned her arms to the area around them. "You would start on this world, training and harnessing your potential. This also gives you the opportunity to bring justice to those who served for Chaos on this day. Whenever you are ready you would then join Order in its battles across the universe, from now until the end of time." Riven lowered her arms and she released Maria's gaze, stepping back and nodding respectfully. "It is your choice."

Maria was silent for a few minutes, her tattered clothes and dirty hair waving around in the wind as she looked inside of herself. The Dawnbringer was right, she would never feel the same if she didn't do something to right the wrongs she had done. Even if it meant something like this, the entrance into something that would lead her into a new life that seemed completely foreign and impossible what did she have in the one she had just lost? She had no other family, no friends, nowhere to go. She would die out here and even if she didn't it would likely be a long life of her feeling the same grief, the same failure to her mother. She couldn't do that to herself, or to any of the people she had loved.

"I accept." Maria said, raising her head and voice as she met Riven's eyes. "I accept! There is nowhere else for me to go and it's true, I do want to fix my wrongs. No matter what it takes."

Riven outstretched the tip of her sword to Maria before powerful golden light overtook the Dawnbringer, her body shining with a radiance and energy that seemed to even make the proud trees around them gasp in awe.

"Then grab a hold of my blade," Riven said with ancient power resounding in her voice, "And become one with the light."

Maria looked back one more time at the mountain and with determination in her eyes put both of her hands onto the glowing blade. Almost immediately she felt new vigor flow through her veins, her feet beginning to rise into the air as a bluish aura flamed into life around her. As the aura began to grow and brighten Maria felt the magic race through her, giving her access to a power only a select few had wielded. After a few moments Maria looked down at the Dawnbringer in confusion as for what she was supposed to do until from within her mind Maria began to her other voices in her head start to rise up, the dominant one among them being Riven's.

 _Use your emotions, the horrors you've seen here today. Embrace your feelings and let them guide your path._

Despite all of the fear and hesitation still within Maria's system she closed her eyes and relaxed. She thought back to the village, of all of the nice people she had met and the good times she had experienced. She thought back to her parents, how they had loved her with care and always been there for her. She thought back to her mother and how she had protected her up to the very end, how she had looked at her with confidence and stood proud even in the face of the men who had brought Chaos upon them all.

 _Chaos has taken everything away from me._ Maria thought. _Now, I will take everything away from Chaos._

As Maria embraced what she was thinking her aura continued to grow in luminescence until a golden hue began to appear at its base. As it spread upward the glass in her feet was removed, the wounds in her legs healed and the blood covering them cleaned away.

 _I will not stand around and let this happen again, not to anyone._

Maria's clothes began to dissolve and dissipate as a stretches of light began to wrap around her, covering her chest and lower body as her body continued to be cleansed.

 _If I do not stop Chaos, then I am no better than those who serve its will._

The strands of light around Maria began to condense into attire, golden-blackish clothing very similar to Riven's only changing in their accommodation for her age and the donning of a more novice-esque look.

 _I have chosen this path, for those who have been lost._

Maria's hair soared upward and as it swayed in the wind it began to turn into a shining bluish-green. Underneath her new clothing and above her breasts an oval blue gem permanently embedded itself into Maria's skin.

 _I will remember and repeat, but never regret._

On the sides of Maria's eyes faint metallic carvings appeared as they began to surge with energy. From in front of Maria a loud crackling sound began to appear as bits of metal and raw power began to pop into existence around her.

 _For my mother, my father and all those who have been slain despite innocence, I will fight._

In front of Maria two thin electric blue cylinders condensed, lining up against one another. At their bases golden handles appeared and as Maria rose higher and higher into the air a loose set of chains linked the two shapes together. Behind her a copy of the weapon appeared, the only change being the color of cylinders into being a seaform green.

 _I will serve Order. I will protect the light._

The golden aura reached completion and it soared into life, the ground around Maria shaking as the process completed. Maria opened her eyes, one green and one blue and looked down at Riven, her face alight with determination. Riven lifted her sword and rested the tip above Maria's head.

"I deem you Maria, Protector of the Dawn. Now go, begin your training."

The aura around Maria became blinding, and as her senses were overwhelmed she finally found the sleep she had never thought she had wanted so much.

...

Maria woke up slowly, cradling her head as a mild headache began to fade from her mind. She could feel light on her eyelids as she shifted.

 _She didn't tell me passing out was a part of the job. Or being moved, either._

Maria opened her eyes and squinted at the light before she staggered to her feet. This didn't last long, upon taking her first step she collapsed again with a wince and a bang of metal. Groaning and standing up again she carefully assessed herself, taking note of her new armor.

 _It's heavy, but it'll have to do._

The young new Dawnbringer looked around at her surroundings as she tried moving around in her armor, her new boots not making it any easier as she tried to work them in. She was in a large grassy plain, with a forest and lake off in the distance. To her right she could see pigs happily wallowing in mud and she felt a pang of sadness as she remembered her village and the destruction that had been caused.

 _Be strong. You're not here to cry about what's done._

Gazing down Maria noticed a set of metal a few feet from her. Upon further inspection she discovered it to be two sticks of light, one on top of the other. A manila card embroidered in gold sat at their base, waiting to be read. Maria picked up the note and read it to herself, her eyes casting a dim greenish-blue glow over the writing.

 _These are the weapons you'll use. Train with them, push yourself as hard as you can and when that's done push twice as hard. When you're confident in your abilities and are ready to move_ on _climb the mountain where your village used to be. I'll be there._

 _-Riven_

Maria put the card aside and picked up the first weapon, recoiling slightly as it pulsed a light blue but then calmed down to a gentle radiance. After some attempts to handle it she realized the edge furthest away from the golden handle was the best to hold and she swung it around experimentally until much to her surprise it jerked out of her hand flew off a few feet away from her. Laughing a bit, Maria went over and picked up the sticks as she glanced over at its twin.

 _Nunchucks._ The word popped into her mind and while Maria didn't know what it meant she assumed it was for the weapons. She picked up the other nunchuk in her left hand and as carefully as she could twirled them both at the same time, watching in awe as they curved through the air. _Amazing._

Maria stopped the spinning and set both weapons limp by her sides as she turned to face the horizon, the sun still low in the sky as it rose over a new day.

 _For your sake and all others Mom, I'll bring justice to Chaos. I'll serve Order, even to the end._

And she was ready for it.

...

* * *

 **Author's Note: Wrote this after being inspired by Wonder Woman's new movie. Takes place in an Alternate Universe where the battle between Chaos and Order isn't just between Riven and Yasuo and is more complicated than it seems. I'd happily do a series for this if I get enough requests, I just wanted to make the one shot to get some feelings out. Hope you enjoyed.**

 **Also, NUNCHUCKS. NUNCHUCKS. You're welcome.**

 **-Caulifla**


End file.
